Love in the District Book 1
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Sofia Jade
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237K
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32
Hannah thought she’d left her past with Wesley behind—or at least learned how to look away. That worked while an ocean separated them. Returning to Washington, DC is supposed to be simple: choose a wedding venue, marry her handsome surgeon fiancé, and close the door on everything she ran from. Instead, she collides with Wesley—her ex, her first love, the heartbreak she never healed. Now a firefighter marked by heat and scars, he’s impossible to ignore. Hannah may have forgotten how much he once meant to her, but Wesley remembers everything, and the past isn’t done with either of them yet.
Chapter 1
HANNAH
“Here comes the bride!” Baylor sang in a high-pitched falsetto tone as I stepped out of the dressing room of Urban Glamour Bridal Boutique in downtown Los Angeles.
I smiled. “It’s really happening, isn’t it?”
“It sure is. But I’d really suggest you go with the mermaid silhouette instead. Your curves deserve to be on display,” he shoots back, walking over to another rack of wedding gowns and sifting through the dresses that were chosen by the consultant who’s helping us with my fitting.
“Here, this one will show off your toned back and accentuate certain assets.”
“I’ll give it a shot.” I looked down at the beautiful dress Baylor had handed me.
I pushed the white linen curtain aside and slipped back into the dressing room, stripping off the A-line style dress and pulling up the mermaid-style gown instead.
It had delicate lace covering the bodice, a daring low-cut in the front, and a dramatic back that revealed more skin than I would have ever chosen for myself. The bodice was cut close to my hips, flaring at the bottom, accentuating my curvy figure and making me look just like a lovable siren.
Will Edwin like this?Or will he think it’s too showy?
My fiancé had always been more of an understated, classic kind of guy. He thought in straight lines and clinical cuts, which made sense since he was one of the best surgeons in all of LA.
I exited the dressing room and performed a dramatic twirl for Baylor. “What do you think?”
“Oh. My. God. You look amazing,” he shouted, clapping his hands excitedly. “Even if this isn’t the gown you choose, you should stick with the mermaid cut. That’s the most flattering silhouette you’ve tried on all day.”
“But do you think Edwin will like it? I feel like he’s more of an A-line or ball gown style guy.”
Baylor rolled his eyes. “Well, he’s not the one wearing the dress now, is he? It is your wedding too. You need to pick something that says you.”
I nodded. “You’re right. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m getting married.” I pressed my hands against my cheeks, feeling the flush of red.
“I just can’t believe you’re going to move in with him and abandon me. Just because you marry him doesn’t mean you have to live with him,” he teased with a dramatic wink. “What am I going to do not living with you for the second time in my life?”
I chuckled, thinking about the years of memories that we’ve made together.
Baylor and I had been inseparable since our early days. We were raised together in the same foster family home in Washington, DC.
Baylor found his place there at the age of four after a rough start to his early life. A year later, I showed up after being picked up by child protective services. My parents had left me alone for three weeks in our apartment while they went to Florida to score some drugs.
By the time the authorities had come to collect me, my foster mom had said I barely looked like a child. Thankfully, I don’t have any memories from those three weeks where I was on my own, hardly surviving.
When I’d first been placed with the Smith family, I was shy and timid, but Baylor had immediately latched on to me, like a guiding light, shielding me from fear and navigating life’s twists and turns with a hefty dose of humor.
And he continued to be that way throughout the rest of my childhood into adulthood. He wasn’t just a friend; he was family and the closest thing I had to it these days.
Our foster household was a bustling one, with a total of seven foster children, each with their own stories and struggles, pulling our parents in different directions constantly. However, even as some of us got married and started families of our own, the connections remained strong—our fellow foster siblings became our extended family, with their children becoming our beloved nieces and nephews.
I was eager to see some of them next week when I went back to visit.
“So, you’re really not coming back to DC with me to look at the venues?” I asked, sighing heavily.
Even though Edwin’s family and most of our friends now lived on the West Coast, I insisted on getting married in DC, where my extended foster family lives. It’d be costly for them all to make the trip out west. Besides, DC would always feel like home to me.
Edwin had only visited with me once, and my extended family barely had a chance to get to know him before he’d returned to the West Coast for work. This would be an opportunity for them to learn more about him and bond with him too.
Unfortunately, this last-minute location change meant I only had six short months to secure a venue and vendors before our October wedding.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. Work is just too busy right now. But I promise I’ll come back with you in June for your bridal shower. There’s no chance that I would miss that.”
“Good, I can’t risk not having my groom-of-honor by my side,” I said, smiling.
“Okay, I think we should call it quits for the day and go grab lunch. At least we have the silhouette nailed down,” he said as I headed into the dressing room to take off the dress.
A few minutes later, we were back on the busy streets of Los Angeles, our arms linked, enjoying the beautiful spring California weather.
“Tell me about the venues you’re going to see next week?”
“I narrowed it down to my top three locations: the art museum, an old historical church in the heart of the city, and a sprawling farm that’s been renovated just a little outside of downtown DC.”
Baylor raised his eyebrows but didn't give input on my picks. “Sounds fun. Any preference?”
“They’re all beautiful. I’m trying to keep an open mind, and hopefully the right one will come to me once I see it.”
“Well, whatever you decide, it’ll be perfect. You’re getting married in the city we grew up in, and I won’t allow anything to ruin your big day.”
I just wished that was true.
